Reptiles are common. Walking quietly over the rocks in the heat of the day will reveal many, and in summer barking geckos advertise their presence. There are not as many snakes as one would expect, although in mid-winter , there have been sightings of the large black spitting cobra in a rock-strewn hollow. Puffadder, spitting cobra, horned adder, many-horned adder and the Nama tiger snake are the most common species. Only the cobra and puffadder are life-threatening. The potentially lethal scorpion is abundant in summer. The black ones (Parbuthus felosa) can squirt their venom up to a metre into one’s eyes. The beige ones tend to hide under anything left on the sand and they carry a vicious sting.

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